


The Summoned

by melisiphe



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hugs, Romance, Short & Sweet, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 23:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18292544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melisiphe/pseuds/melisiphe
Summary: A lonely witch decides to do something a little drastic to get company - summon a demon. What she doesn't expect, however, is to fall in love.





	1. Sweetest Failure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CatiFrey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatiFrey/gifts).



Dark, heavy curtains were drawn over the windows, keeping any light and any overly curious gazes out. Candlelight flickered and danced, filling the otherwise dark room with a dim light and making the shadows dance on the walls. 

Chalk stained fingers diligently worked to draw the perfect lines. The silence was almost deafening, but it allowed her to put all her focus into her work. 

This was her seventeenth try. Her seventeenth try to draw the summoning circle and she was determined not to botch it this time. 

People underestimated how hard it was to draw perfect circles by hand. Scratch that, she underestimated how hard it would be. She wouldn’t, though, not again. 

“I’m so making a template for next time,” she muttered to herself as she carefully closed the circle and stepped back to examine the results. It was perfect — it seemed to be, anyway. 

There was an anxious flutter in her chest the longer she stared down at the white lines on her wooden floor. Doubts crept in, filling her mind with the worst possible what-ifs. 

Maybe summoning a demon was a bad idea. Maybe. 

Irvi wouldn’t let the maybe’s get to her, though. 

She took a step back, then another and stood straight before the circle. Irvi clutched onto the edge of her over-sized sweater to stop her hands from shaking and took a deep breath. 

“Aver it um. Maroi tevenos al im noit. Aver to it um.” 

Her words filled the dark space, but silence was the only answer she got. 

Irvi frowned down at the chalk circle, her eyes immediately scanning for any mistakes. Did she mess up a rune somewhere? Was the line of the circle broken somewhere she didn’t notice? She could only guess. 

She turned to her book and pulled a candle closer to her, scanning the words on the page. What she said was right there, word for word. Irvi knew she didn’t make a mistake there. 

So why? Why didn’t it work? 

Irvi slammed the book closed and sighed. For a moment, she stood there, looking down at the leather-bound cover. She would try again, of course. She wasn’t a quitter, and she already put in too much work to stop now. 

She would get it right, even if it took her three more months! 

But three more months wouldn’t be needed. Nor three more hours. Not even three minutes.

As Irvi turned around, she realized that she was no longer alone in the room. In the middle of her chalk circle stood a demon. 

Though they were at a distance, Irvi would guess that he stood at least at six feet tall, if not more. Red, pupil-less eyes stared at her and all she could do was stare back breathlessly. 

She couldn’t believe her eyes — wasn’t sure if she could or should. 

“Did you summon me to just stare at me?” He asked. His voice was deep and rough, rougher than she would’ve guessed from looking at his pretty face. 

Irvi inhaled sharply, finally remembering that she did, in fact, need to breathe. The corner of the demon’s mouth twitched into a little half smile. 

“No, no… I…” Irvi tugged at her sweater. Her eyes trailed downward and she immediately looked back up. With her eyes now firmly fixed on his face, Irvi did her best to ignore the fact that, save for the jewels adorning his body, the demon was completely naked. It didn’t occur to her for even a moment that an incubus might appear to her without any clothes. 

She really should’ve brushed up on her demonology, she figured. 

“No, I didn’t summon you to just stare,” she said. Her own voice was quiet and shaky, so unlike his. 

He tilted his head at her, eyes narrowing just a fraction as his tail swayed gently behind him. In that moment, he reminded her of a curious cat. Irvi couldn’t decide if he seemed ready to pounce on her or not. 

“Then, do tell, what is it you desire from me?” He stepped closer to the edge of the circle. 

“A night you’ll never forget? Or perhaps you’d like me to act out some secret fantasy of yours?” 

“I would like to know your name, first. If that’s okay,” she said. 

The incubus raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down. Though he smiled, Irvi found the smile didn’t really give anything away. 

“My name is Tjali,” he said with a bow, “And who might you be?”

“Tjali…” She whispered his name under her breath as if to taste it on her tongue. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Tjali. My name is Irvi,” she said, offering him a smile. 

“I summoned you because…” 

“Yes?” 

Irvi looked away. Her cheeks felt impossible hot and she could only hope that her face wasn’t turning red. Finally having summoned an incubus, Irvi felt embarrassed by her simple request. 

“A hug. I’d like a hug, please…”

Irvi refused to look at him. And the longer he stayed quiet, the heavier the weight on her chest became. She felt so pathetic, so childish. The longer the silence went on, the more she felt that it was a mistake to summon a demon for a hug. 

She felt something wrap around her wrist, but before she could form a single thought, she was tugged forward. Irvi collided into Tjali’s bare chest, his arms wrapped around her immediately and all that she could think of was how warm he was. 

“If a hug is what you desire, a hug is what I will give you,” he whispered. 

Warmth flooded her, filling her up so completely that Irvi was afraid she might drown. But she welcomed it. If she drowned — so be it. 

She rested her forehead against his chest and closed her eyes. Irvi felt Tjali rest his chin on the top of her head and something wrap around her calf. The sensation was confusing, yet she quickly realized that it was his tail. She smiled and slipped her arms around him, returning the hug. 

They didn't talk, not for a while, which gave Irvi ample time to think. The sad, lonely little witch felt happy. It was such a small thing and it made her very aware of just how starving she was for physical contact. Tjali didn't need to know, but it didn't seem like he would question her over it, which suited her just fine. 

It felt like an eternity and only a few seconds all at once, but eventually Tjali pulled away, just enough to look down at her. 

“Is a hug all you require of me?” He asked. 

“Yes. Maybe…”

“What else would you like?” 

Irvi glanced over to the couch. It was old and stacked blankets and pillows. And though it was old, it was still unusually comfortable. It was her favorite place to nap in. 

“If it's not too much to ask…” Irvi looked back at the incubus, “I'd like to cuddle.”

“Though, maybe after you get dressed,” she quickly added, once the thought of having to lay on a naked demon hit her. That was a little too much for her, no matter how much she was starving for physical contact. 

Tjani laughed, open and joyous, and snapped his fingers. He was dressed so quickly that it was as if he had been dressed all this time. 

“Better?” He asked with a grin. 

Tjali waited for a nod from her, and as soon as he got one, he picked her up into his arms. 

“Cuddles coming up, as the lady wishes,” he said, cheeky grin and all. Irvi could only hold on as he walked them over to her couch. 

Tjali plopped himself down on the couch, with Irvi resting on top of him. As he got comfortable, he gently held her close. Irvi settled to rest her head on his chest and closed her eyes once more. 

He was warm and comfortable. And most of all, he made her feel inexplicably safe. 

She had no logical reason to feel that way, other than her knowledge that an incubus wouldn't do what wasn't desired. But that, and everything else started to fade away. 

Soothed by Tjali’s presence and the light, rhythmic circles he continued to rub onto her back, Irvi slowly started to drift off into a deep slumber.


	2. Dinner is...me?

It was dark and cold when she woke up. Irvi looked around with bleary eyes. Everything around her seemed just a little too dark and just a little too blurry. 

"Tjali…?" She called out. Her only answer was silence. 

A sharp sting stabbed through her chest, but in this case, all Irvi could do was ignore it. The demon was gone. Of course, he was. 

Irvi wasn’t sure what she was expecting. He had no reason to stay with her, especially not after fulfilling her request. 

Irvi sighed and pushed herself up to sit. She winced and pulled her feet back up onto the couch the moment her toes touched the cold, wooden floor. 

It was dark, cold and lonely. 

Irvi hated the loneliness. She hated being alone. Hated how the solitude ate away at her, day after day. There wasn’t a moment where she didn’t feel like the weight of the world was on her. 

Maybe she was being over-dramatic. If you asked her, she would say that she was. She would insist that she was just a silly little witch who should know better. 

Tjali didn’t owe her anything, after all. 

She went about her day, just as she always did, washing up and getting dressed. 

When she saw herself in the mirror, Irvi was startled — her hair was sticking up every which way, almost impossibly so. And her eyeliner didn’t quite fare well during the night. She looked like a raccoon.

Irvi slowly blinked at her own reflection as she took in how much of a mess she looked. The longer the stared, the more she saw that she looked like she had a walk through a hurricane. 

Irvi chuckled at her reflection and reached for the hairbrush as an idea formed in her mind. 

No one said you could only summon an incubus once. 

Getting the summoning ritual ready the second time (or did this count as the eighteenth time?) was easy. Irvi retraced her steps — all the failures she had seemed to haunt her now, more than last time. 

She stepped back and said the words again. And then she waited. She waited and waited, but nothing happened. No demon, no nothing. 

Irvi frowned at the chalk circle and crouched down to examine it with a single question in mind: did some of the chalk wear away? 

A blink and out of the corner of her eye, she saw something new, something that hadn’t been there before — a pair of feet stood right in the middle of the circle. 

“What are you doing down there?” Tjali’s voice called out to her from above. His tone light and playful and Irvi could swear he was trying not to laugh. 

“I’m—” Irvi looked up to him and just as before, she saw that Tjali was naked. She felt like she might choke on air, or her face might catch fire. She wasn’t sure which one would come first. 

Irvi covered her face with her hands as she fell back to the floor on her ass. The image of his naked form would forever remain burned in her mind, though. She heard Tjali chuckle and, oddly enough, the shuffle of fabric. 

“Apologies, darling. It’s unusual to have someone who wants me with clothes on,” he said. Irvi felt warm hands on hers, pulling them away from her face. When Irvi opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a smiling Tjali. A clothed Tjali. 

As attractive as he was — as was expected for an incubus — Irvi wasn’t trying to do anything other than befriend him first. And for that, she needed him to be clothed. 

“Thank you. I appreciate you getting dressed for me,” she replied. Tjali nodded and stood up, pulling Irvi up along with him. 

“So, what will it be this time? More hugs and cuddles?” He asked with a twinkle in his eye. 

“Yes. If that’s okay with you, anyway,” Irvi mumbled. 

Tjali wrapped his arms around her, pulling Irvi close to him and closing what little distance they had between them. 

“Okay? You sweet thing, of course, it’s okay. It’s my pleasure to hold you, Irvi,” he said. 

Irvi chewed on her cheek as she stared up at him without a word. She wasn’t sure that he wasn’t just saying it. Someone like him was expected to please whoever summoned him. And though she was enjoying this, she didn’t want to think that he was doing this because he had to. 

She got another idea, though it seemed crazy. But she’d be damned if she didn’t give it a try. 

Irvi gently pushed Tjali away and smiled at him, despite the confused look on his face. 

“How would you like to have some dinner with me?” She asked. 

Tjali stared at her — the silence between them drawing on. And the longer it continued, the more awkward Irvi felt. She couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t made some mistake by asking him that. 

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I can—”

“I would love to, darling. But I assume you mean human food, yes?”

“Well, yes. What else would I mean?”

“Why, yourself,” Tjali leaned down and whispered into her ear. His hot breath tickled her ear — Irvi had to down a giggle that threatened to spill out of her lips. He had to be doing this on purpose, she thought. 

“What? What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean?”

“I...” Irvi trailed off. She wasn’t an innocent maiden, not by a long shot, and she did know what he meant. But she tried to ignore it, even as her cheeks started to feel impossibly hot. 

“Don’t worry, dear Irvi, you don’t have to answer that,” he said. Tjali leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, his lips lingering on her skin. Irvi sighed and closed her eyes. 

Tjali’s lips were warm and soft, softer than she ever would’ve guessed. And the kiss — it was sweet and just as soft — it made her feel like she was melting from the inside out in the most pleasant way possible. 

“So, what shall we have for dinner?” He asked, pulling away from her. 

“Oh, I— I actually don’t know,” she admitted. “But I do have some things. And, well, maybe we could cook something together?” 

“You want to cook… with me?” 

“Yes! I do. I think it might be fun,” she said. Tjali raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. 

“I never had the pleasure cook anything before. So apologies if I happen to be terrible at it,” he said, offering her a smile. 

“I’m sure you can’t be that bad.”

He was. He was terrible at cooking. And that was the polite way of saying it. 

Tjali didn’t know how to hold a knife properly — a fact that Irvi had a good laugh over. Amazingly, when she taught him how to do it properly, she could swear that she saw a blush dusting his cheeks. 

Even if it was a little hard to tell with the purple skin. 

Irvi was giddy with joy at having seen him blush. And she hardly missed the way his tail seemed to wrap around his leg as if to hide from the embarrassment. 

But embarrassment aside, Tjali was an excellent student. He paid great attention to Irvi’s every instruction and did his best to follow it. And when she took to showing him how something was done, he put all his attention on her. 

It made Irvi feel a little awkward, but having Tjali’s full attention wasn’t unpleasant at all. 

In the end, dinner took a little longer to make than usual, but it was more fun. And the food itself didn’t look half-bad. 

As they ate together, Irvi thought to herself — something she would never dare say out loud — this felt just like a date. 

A date that she wished would never end. But Tjali had to go eventually, though this time Irvi got to say her farewells. As much as she didn’t want him to leave, she was happy to at least be conscious this time. 

She wasn’t sure that she could take waking up alone like that again.


	3. Always

Day after day Irvi would summon Tjali and little by little they would spend time together. To Irvi, it felt almost like they were dating. But as nice as it might be to let herself get deluded into thinking they were, she wouldn’t let herself.

There were times when she had to catch herself from slipping into the pretty dream. And it would be a lie to say that it hadn’t been tempting to just give in. But a sweet dream wasn’t something she wanted.

She had enough of dreams. Dreams only caused her pain in the end. What Irvi craved for was something far more real.

Just like any other day, she summoned Tjali. And just like any other day, he met her with a smile.

“Hello, darling~,” He said. Tjali stepped out of the circle and reached for her, pulling Irvi into a hug as was the usual now.

They didn't talk, not for a while. The two stood in a quiet embrace, surrounded by the light of the many flickering candles. The scent of chocolate and coffee hung in the air around them.

“Something smells wonderful,” he whispered into her hair.

“I baked. And I made coffee,” she explained.

“That's not really what I meant, but good to know,” Tjali laughed. “I look forward to trying whatever it is you made.”

“If not that, then what did you mean?” Irvi asked. She pulled back to look at him.

“You, I meant you. You smell divine, darling,” he said. His lips turned up into a smile.

“Oh, you...” Irvi looked down.

“Don’t believe me?”

“I—no, it’s not that. You’re just very sweet,” she said. “Too sweet, maybe.”

“Too sweet?” Tjali raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Too sweet and too good,” she said. Irvi didn’t look up, instead, she focused on one of the buttons on his shirt. She picked at it without much thought.

“And why am I too sweet, my dearest Irvi?” Tjali asked. He slipped a finger under her chin and guided her to look up at him. “I might argue that I haven't been sweet enough.”

Irvi stared back at him with a frown. And the longer she stayed quiet, the more Tjali’s smile seemed to fall. He sighed.

“What's wrong?”

Though Irvi remained silent, her thoughts were far from it. She could come up with at least fifteen scenarios of how things would go, and none of them were pleasant. But even as her mind rebelled against her, creating the worst what-ifs that she could think of, she knew she didn't want to pretend.

Lying to Tjali seemed like a terrible thing to do and Irvi hated the very thought of it.

“I want things to be real,” she whispered. “I want this...whatever it is between us to be real. And I understand if that’s not something that can happen.”

“If I’m being weird right now… I promise not to summon you anymore if you don’t want me to.”

“Irvi...” Tjali whispered her name like the most precious of secrets. A slow smile spread across his face. He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. And as their noses touched, he nuzzled hers.

“What makes you think this hasn’t been real?” He asked. 

“I don’t know. I guess I just assumed,” she admitted with a shrug. Though Irvi tried to appear unaffected, she couldn’t stop herself from feeling a little silly. She did her best to not assume things, but she ended up doing just that anyway. 

Irvi wanted to apologize for assuming anything at all. But before she could form the words, Tjali closed what little distance there was between them and pressed his lips against hers. 

He wrapped his tail around her, almost protectively, as if shielding her from the world entirely. 

“Do I feel solid to you right now?”

“Yeah…?” Irvi replied slowly. The question was an odd one, but she wondered if he was going anywhere with it. 

Tjali gave her a little squeeze and kissed her on the top of her head. Irvi returned the squeeze happily, exhaling slowly as happiness bubbled up in her chest. Things couldn’t get more perfect than this. 

“This is as real and solid as you feel I am. Did you not notice that you were able to summon me every day?”

“I did, of course, I did. But… I don’t know. Was I not supposed to?”

“Not exactly supposed to, rather you weren’t meant to be able to summon me so often.”

“What, so what happened? Why could I?” Irvi asked. The thought of not being able to see him every day filled her stomach with dread. 

“I wanted to see you.”

“Oh.” 

“Oh!” Irvi pulled back to look at him with eyes comically wide. “You wanted to see me?!”

“Of course. Why would I when your company has been ever so lovely?” He chuckled. 

“But then, does that mean...” She trailed off. Irvi wanted to know how he felt about her, but now that she had the chance to ask just that, she found herself at a loss for words. 

“Irvi...” Tjali leaned down and whispered her name against her lips. “It means that I love you. It means that I want to see you every day, over and over until you’re sick of me.”

“Sick of you…? I’d never get sick of you!” 

“Good,” Tjali kissed her. “Then I’ll never stop coming.”

“You promise?”

“I do.”

“And...Tjali?”

“Yes?”

“I love you, too.”

“Always?”

“Always,” they whispered together, coming closer to seal the promise with a sweet kiss.


End file.
